The Home's Hingeback Tortoise is also known as the Forest Hingeback
Tortoise and is a subspecies of the African Hingeback Tortoise.
It is native to Africa but is quite common in captivity. While
it can be an easy, rewarding pet when acclimated to its new environment,
many Home's Hingeback Tortoises die within a short time of entering
captivity.

Native to regions of high humidity, the Home's Hingeback Tortoise
is a species that, while primarily terrestrial, will spend large
periods soaking in warm water. They can be found in grasslands,
savannahs, and similar areas. Generally speaking, they are very
hardy animals; however, the Home's Hingeback Tortoise has difficulty
adapting to a new environment and may have problems because of
this. The Home's Hingeback Tortoise is omnivorous and primarily
insectivorous, meaning while they eat both plant and animal material,
the majority of their diet is insect-based. Some common foods
they eat in the wild are fruit, grass, plants, slugs, millipedes,
and snails.

The Home's Hingeback Tortoise is distinguished from other Hingeback
Tortoises by its shell, which is quite angular and comes to an
abrupt end at the back. The Home's Hingeback Tortoise's shell
is brown and its head is a lighter shade. The name "Hingeback
Tortoise" comes from the hinge about three quarters of the
way down the carapace. This hinge allows the tortoise to close
the back of its shell completely, protecting its hind legs and
tail.

Native to Nigeria, the Ivory Coast and the Congo, Home's Hingeback
Tortoise requires a great deal of humidity. If it is not given
suitable living conditions, it will likely not survive. The African
Hingeback Tortoises are often mistaken for Box Turtles. While
the African Hingebacks only have one hinge in their shell, on
the carapace, which allows them to close only the back half of
the shell, Box Turtles have two hinges on the plastron that enable
them to close their entire shell tightly.